Chit-Chat: The Feels

[shapeshifter]

[Dimity]

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

 

[Affogato]

https://apple.news/AkIUcx5EbSVqdw7TjtEOHpw

Elon Musk's Reign of Terror Is Only Just Beginning

His “departure” from the government is anything but.

Quote:

Elon’s really not leaving. Trump himself said so.

It isn’t just Trump, though. Vice President JD Vance has said more or less the same thing. So has Musk. The real reason that he’s “leaving” (or “quiet quitting”) is that he has spent the last four months as a “special government employee,” a distinction with a 130-day time limit. Were he to continue working in the same capacity, he would be required by federal law to fill out certain financial and ethical disclosures that he is currently exempted from as an SGE. Given his vast fortune (and lack of ethics), Musk does not want to do this and therefore has no choice but to “step back.” It’s undoubtedly true that he has taken more of a backseat in recent weeks, particularly as his popularity has plummeted, but there’s no reason to believe that he’s cutting all ties with Trump. DOGE, meanwhile, is very much still ticking. Musk is, as Trump said, just “gonna be back and forth.

18 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I do too. Every morning I wonder "Is today the day? Will the clouds lift and sun finally shine again?" 

Trumps death won’t make it better. Hope he is discredited completely. 

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

You really need to stop making assumptions about me. You know absolutely squat about me, so knock it off!

It is true that online we can only be known by what we choose to reveal, as is our right. 
Sometimes this leads to misunderstandings.
For instance, does this imply:

On 5/29/2025 at 2:45 AM, Soapy Goddess said:

I moderate another site

…that you see your responses here as those of a kind of moderator? 
If so, that could help me to understand your perspective and might lead to a more open dialog if you care to have one.

[Dimity]

8 minutes ago, Affogato said:

Trumps death won’t make it better. Hope he is discredited completely. 

At this point I don't know if that will ever happen.  As we've been discussing when will enough be enough?  Not just with his MAGA supplicants but with those in a position to actually do something about him.  So far the courts do seem to be making an effort to keep him in check, but the Republican congress thinks what he's doing is ginger peachy.  Hitler's Willing Executioners indeed.  Sigh.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Another dividing line, people who consider that acceptable behavior in their president and people who cannot believe anyone finds that  acceptable in their president.  

This. I don't care what party one belongs to, I don't think any president should be out there marking Bibles with their names on them. It's gaudy and disrespectful, and there's kind of that whole pesky "church and state" thing, too*. I don't think any government official of any sort should be actively endorsing or promoting any one specific religion and I'm immediately wary of any politician who does. And history has proven time and time again why I would be right to be wary of any politician who makes such a big to do about religious stuff. 

The Trump Bibles are even more grotesque considering that, in his case, he's weaponizing and manipulating religion to rile up a base who's...I'm going to be nice and say gullible...enough to see him as some kind of great Christian savior who will make this country the "right" kind of Christian nation again, even though I would be willing to bet that you could probably count the amount of times Trump's been to chruch or actually read a Bible on one hnd (let alone understand any of what he actually read), and even though there are many of us out there who would very much NOT want to live under those supporters' idea of what a "Christian" nation would look like. 

Also, there's, y'know, the fact that Trump was happy to use a Bible for a photo op after allowing peaceful BLM protesters to be tear-gassed, which literally flies in the face of everything a Christian should be. I can't recall any other president ever pulling a stunt like that, so the fact that Trump did just that with a Bilbe? Nope, sorry, that sucks any possible "humor" out of his Trump Bible nonsense for me. 

*I know the "church and state" aspect of the First Amendment relates to Congress, but any president who refuses to respect that line is surely likely to make it easier for Congress and the rest of their administration to not respect it, either, as this administration is proving on alarming levels, so...

Edited Sunday at 05:24 PM by Annber03

[Annber03]

Yeah, my mom and I were having a conversation about the whole concept of being transgender and all it entails just this morning, and she got the basics just fine. And she's in her late 60s. 

There is absolutely no reason anyone should take issue with transgender peope in general, and there's ESPECIALLY no justification or valid reason to vote for someone who wants to discriminate against them and strip them of any sort of basic human and civil rights. Anyone who thinks that's something worth defending needs to really get their priorities in order. 

[Absolom]

4 hours ago, Shrek said:

Actually anyone using these as a defense is pathetic because no matter what side you're on these 2 "defenses" are just extremely childish insults that belong on a playground rather than in an adult world. Just like the "let's go Brandon" & "TACO Trump" childishness.

Resorting to name-calling during an argument generally signifies a weak argument or a loss of the ability to debate constructively.  Isn't that true?  We aren't seven any more and should either be able to explain ourselves or realize our position has no legs and move on.  Or as the debate coach said if you've resorted to name calling you have already lost.

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Resorting to name-calling during an argument generally signifies a weak argument or a loss of the ability to debate constructively.  Isn't that true?  We aren't seven any more and should either be able to explain ourselves or realize our position has no legs and move on.  Or as the debate coach said if you've resorted to name calling you have already lost.

Dems definitely have a messaging problem. Because this election many on the right wanted to hurt other people. It went from voting for my interests to how can I inflict pain on those that disagree with me. But yeah... republicans always get a pass. To be honest in my view it really got bad with the "when they go low, we go high" rhetoric. Dems became the party of self $uicide

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

True.
But also, as US Senator Cory Booker of NJ (who recently stood and delivered for 25 hours in eloquent protest of the policies of the current regime without resorting to childish name-calling) said this week:
“…politicians are important but poets are more important; artists [Comedians, musicians] are more important and…are vital to our community sustaining, but also to be inspired and engaged and activated in dealing with all the outrageousness that's going on” (https://youtu.be/FK74qsCysWY).

@shapeshifter This is not meant to disparage your post in any way. In fact, I share the sentiments you quoted from Senator Booker's speech. My problem moving forward is correlating his eloquent words with his very recent problematic actions.

To say that Senator Booker has disheartened me would be an understatement. It was only a couple of months ago that I was here trumpeting Cory Booker as a great candidate to replace Chuck Schumer as Minority Leader, if the Democrats could convince him to step down. In 2020, when I was considering my vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary, Cory Booker was my third choice in a very strong field of candidates. (I've said several times here that my first and second choices were Senators Warren and Sanders.) In short, I've long been a Cory Booker fan.

In the past, Cory Booker had accepted political donations from Big Pharma. I wasn't crazy about this, but with so many of the large pharmaceutical corporations headquartered in New Jersey, voters almost have to handwave candidates who accept campaign contributions from them. Better though, was the fact that Senator Booker ultimately stopped accepting campaign funds from Big Pharma several years ago.

However, less than two weeks ago, Senator Booker cast two votes that were upsetting, both within 24 hours of each other. First, he joined FIFTEEN other Democratic Senators who voted "Yes" on the Genius Act. Here are the "Crypto Sixteen."

Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who co-sponsored the bill!
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
John Fetterman (D-PA)
Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
Alex Padilla (D-CA)
Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)

This article includes plain-English explanations from Senator Elizabeth Warren of all the items wrong with this bill. I think most of us can agree that if there's one Senator who knows more about banking and finance than any other, it's Elizabeth Warren. (We used to have the equally knowledgeable Katie Porter on the House side, but when she lost her California Senate primary to now-Senator Adam Schiff, WHO ALSO VOTED YES ON THIS BILL, she lost her House seat.)

These 16 Democratic Senators Deserve a Primary

https://prospect.org/politics/2025-05-21-democratic-senators-deserve-primary-crypto-bill/

Back to Cory Booker, and on this despicable action, he's all alone. He was the only Democratic Senator to vote "Yes" on the confirmation of convicted felon Charles Kushner (later pardoned by DJT on his way out the WH door in 2021) as the US Ambassador to France. Kushner, the father of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, pled guilty in 2005 to 18 counts; including tax evasion, making illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

This quote is from the article I'm linking below: Excerpt: Kushner was confirmed with the support of one Democrat — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. In his prepared testimony for his confirmation hearing, Kushner thanked Booker for his “special and close friendship.”

Senate confirms Charles Kushner, Jared's dad, as France ambassador; Booker only Dem to vote yes

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/senate-confirms-charles-kushner-father-jared-donald-ivanka-trump-france-ambassador-cory-booker/6271725/

To date, I don't believe Senator Booker has successfully defended either of these votes.

I can't believe I'm having to say this about a man I had held in such high esteem, but Cory Booker should be primaried in 2026.

Just as an addendum: This is one of, if not the biggest, difference between Democratic and Republican voters. We Democrats don't look away when those we've elected disappoint us. Senator Booker has done nothing illegal here. He cast questionable "Yes" votes where he should not have. We call out things like this because it's important. Republican voters for more than fifty years have turned a blind eye to actual criminal activity by innumerable Republicans at every possible level of government just to advance their deplorable agenda of stripping away human rights from everyone but rich, cis-het white Christian men.

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Also, there's, y'know, the fact that Trump was happy to use a Bible for a photo op after allowing peaceful BLM protesters to be tear-gassed, which literally flies in the face of everything a Christian should be. I can't recall any other president ever pulling a stunt like that, so the fact that Trump did just that with a Bilbe? Nope, sorry, that sucks any possible "humor" out of his Trump Bible nonsense for me. 

I agree with all you've said here (and pretty much everywhere else! 🙂) I just wanted to add that tear gas, as bad as it was in this situation, was the compromise action. Trump had originally said to his top military advisors, "Can't we just shoot them in the knees?"

[tres bien]

Thank you Poland

👊🇵🇱🔥

In today’s presidential elections exit polls project that pro EU candidate Rafael Trzaskowski has defeated Trump-backed nationalist candidate Karol Nawroki

Trump invited Nawroki to the Oval Office and sent Kristi Noem to Poland days before the election to urge Poles to vote for him

Ahh so much winning 🤣

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, tres bien said:

Ahh so much winning 🤣

How many elections does this make so far?  Canada, Australia, Romania...

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

@shapeshifter This is not meant to disparage your post in any way. In fact, I share the sentiments you quoted from Senator Booker's speech. My problem moving forward is correlating his eloquent words with his very recent problematic actions.

To say that Senator Booker has disheartened me would be an understatement. It was only a couple of months ago that I was here trumpeting Cory Booker as a great candidate to replace Chuck Schumer as Minority Leader, if the Democrats could convince him to step down. In 2020, when I was considering my vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary, Cory Booker was my third choice in a very strong field of candidates. (I've said several times here that my first and second choices were Senators Warren and Sanders.) In short, I've long been a Cory Booker fan.

In the past, Cory Booker had accepted political donations from Big Pharma. I wasn't crazy about this, but with so many of the large pharmaceutical corporations headquartered in New Jersey, voters almost have to handwave candidates who accept campaign contributions from them. Better though, was the fact that Senator Booker ultimately stopped accepting campaign funds from Big Pharma several years ago.

However, less than two weeks ago, Senator Booker cast two votes that were upsetting, both within 24 hours of each other. First, he joined FIFTEEN other Democratic Senators who voted "Yes" on the Genius Act. Here are the "Crypto Sixteen."

Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who co-sponsored the bill!
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
John Fetterman (D-PA)
Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
Alex Padilla (D-CA)
Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)

This article includes plain-English explanations from Senator Elizabeth Warren of all the items wrong with this bill. I think most of us can agree that if there's one Senator who knows more about banking and finance than any other, it's Elizabeth Warren. (We used to have the equally knowledgeable Katie Porter on the House side, but when she lost her California Senate primary to now-Senator Adam Schiff, WHO ALSO VOTED YES ON THIS BILL, she lost her House seat.)

These 16 Democratic Senators Deserve a Primary

https://prospect.org/politics/2025-05-21-democratic-senators-deserve-primary-crypto-bill/

Back to Cory Booker, and on this despicable action, he's all alone. He was the only Democratic Senator to vote "Yes" on the confirmation of convicted felon Charles Kushner (later pardoned by DJT on his way out the WH door in 2021) as the US Ambassador to France. Kushner, the father of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, pled guilty in 2005 to 18 counts; including tax evasion, making illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

This quote is from the article I'm linking below: Excerpt: Kushner was confirmed with the support of one Democrat — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. In his prepared testimony for his confirmation hearing, Kushner thanked Booker for his “special and close friendship.”

Senate confirms Charles Kushner, Jared's dad, as France ambassador; Booker only Dem to vote yes

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/senate-confirms-charles-kushner-father-jared-donald-ivanka-trump-france-ambassador-cory-booker/6271725/

To date, I don't believe Senator Booker has successfully defended either of these votes.

I can't believe I'm having to say this about a man I had held in such high esteem, but Cory Booker should be primaried in 2026.

Just as an addendum: This is one of, if not the biggest, difference between Democratic and Republican voters. We Democrats don't look away when those we've elected disappoint us. Senator Booker has done nothing illegal here. He cast questionable "Yes" votes where he should not have. We call out things like this because it's important. Republican voters for more than fifty years have turned a blind eye to actual criminal activity by innumerable Republicans at every possible level of government just to advance their deplorable agenda of stripping away human rights from everyone but rich, cis-het white Christian men.

I agree with all you've said here (and pretty much everywhere else! 🙂) I just wanted to add that tear gas, as bad as it was in this situation, was the compromise action. Trump had originally said to his top military advisors, "Can't we just shoot them in the knees?"

Thank you for sharing this information, including a source that was not on my radar. At least we still have Elizabeth Warren.

[peacheslatour]

So, this is where we are now. Children as young as 9 being zip tied by ICE. The cruelty really is the point.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/migrant-kids-zip-tied-20351707.php

At least three migrant children were taken into custody and restrained with zip ties at the San Antonio Immigration Court, located at 800 Dolorosa Street, on Thursday, May 29, according to multiple sources.

The incident was captured on video by an immigration attorney, who then shared the footage with attendees of an immigration law conference being held this week at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio Riverwalk Hotel by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., or CLINIC.

[Bastet]

From that article:

Quote

The children — two boys and a girl who appeared to be between the ages of 9 and 12 years old — were detained and zip-tied, along with adults who appeared to be relatives, after an immigration judge had dismissed their case, according to Carolina Rivera, an immigration attorney who serves as a federal advocate and liaison for CLINIC. That dismissal should have meant they were no longer subject to removal proceedings, Rivera said.

Quote

The arrest of the children comes a day after reports that agents dressed in plain clothes with nothing to identify them as federal immigration officials were arresting people as they emerged from the immigration courthouse.

KSAT reported on Wednesday, May 28, that its crews observed two charter buses parked outside the immigration court, where witnesses saw agents detaining people as they left the court. But Hernandez said the courthouse arrests first began in San Antonio last Thursday.

Quote

On Jan. 24 of this year, the Trump administration again expanded the expedited removal policy. That rescission also undid a Biden-era prohibition on arresting migrants at so-called “sensitive places,” such as churches, schools, hospitals and courthouses.

The matter is currently mired in litigation, but until the courts sort it out, the public will continue to see immigration agents arresting people in places that have traditionally been off-limits — something that will stoke fear, Rivera said.

“Because of that policy change, we’re seeing what’s happening now. It’s ICE in courtrooms, so that’s gonna create fear around people… that is gonna have an effect on the individuals that are seeking asylum,” Rivera said.

Let's hear some more about doing it the "right" way, when the goon squads* are using immigration courthouses as an easy way to grab people (and based solely on their presence there, with no regard to the status of their case).

*On that note:

Quote

It’s unclear if those agents, or the ones who took the children into custody on Thursday, work for ICE. Rivera said when CLINIC-affiliated officials asked the agents to identify themselves, they replied that “they were FBI.”

While the FBI does not normally tackle immigration enforcement, that has begun to change under the second Trump administration. Just this week, NBC News reported on a policy shift requiring FBI field offices around the country to reassign significant portions of their resources toward immigration.

 

[CheshireCat]

2 hours ago, tres bien said:

Thank you Poland

👊🇵🇱🔥

In today’s presidential elections exit polls project that pro EU candidate Rafael Trzaskowski has defeated Trump-backed nationalist candidate Karol Nawroki

Trump invited Nawroki to the Oval Office and sent Kristi Noem to Poland days before the election to urge Poles to vote for him

Ahh so much winning 🤣

According to German news, a second round of exit polls has the result reversed. The exit polls are said to have a margin of error of 1-2%. Actual results aren't expected until Monday morning, local time. 

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, Dimity said:

How many elections does this make so far?  Canada, Australia, Romania...

Perhaps, Italy is next?

The Italian local elections that were held last week are precursors to Regional elections this fall, but results were promising in a nation with a far-right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Giorgia Meloni’s allies beaten by Olympian in mayoral election

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/giorgia-meloni-poll-italy-x5hgvf9bc#Echobox=1748435826

Silvia Salis, a former national champion who competed in two Olympics, defeated Meloni’s candidate after eight years of right-wing rule in the port city [of Genoa] — one of a series of local election losses suffered by the prime minister’s coalition on Monday.

Salis, 39, was backed by centrist and hard-left parties as well as the centre-left Democratic and anti-establishment Five Star parties, whose past squabbling has weakened the opposition and hugely benefited Meloni. “My victory makes us reflect on how, if progressive parties in Italy unite, the right loses every argument and we can win at local and national level,” Salis told The Times.

...

On Monday, centre-left coalitions also won a mayoral contest in Ravenna and led right-wing groupings heading into run-offs in Taranto and Matera in southern Italy — but the contests only called on two million voters in Italy. Opposition parties will have to work harder to unite at regional elections in the autumn in which 17 million Italians can vote.

[ECM1231]

7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm so naive, I thought the Access Hollywood tape would do it.

For me, it was his mocking the disabled reporter. 😞

I mean, I was never going to vote for his morally corrupt ass anyway, but for those so inclined, I thought that would have been the final straw. 

[bluegirl147]

38 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

For me, it was his mocking the disabled reporter. 😞

I mean, I was never going to vote for his morally corrupt ass anyway, but for those so inclined, I thought that would have been the final straw. 

I knew we were trouble when the Republican party continued to back him after January 6th.  They could have cut him loose but they continued to bow down to him.  

[Dimity]

There were so many times in the 2016 election cycle where I thought "no one will vote for him now" but for me what I thought would be the final straw was his horrible stalkerish behavior during the debate with Hilary.  It was awful.  And yet there were people who claimed he won that debate and seemed to think he performed admirably.  Never will understand it.

[tres bien]

18 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I knew we were trouble when the Republican party continued to back him after January 6th.  They could have cut him loose but they continued to bow down to him.  

I wasn’t surprised at that because they didn’t give a rat’s ass when he disparaged John McCain in the summer of 2015

[JustHereForFood]

1 hour ago, CheshireCat said:

According to German news, a second round of exit polls has the result reversed. The exit polls are said to have a margin of error of 1-2%. Actual results aren't expected until Monday morning, local time. 

It's very close, but it looks like Nawrocki wins 😰. Never trust exit polls, especially with such close results.

[peacheslatour]

47 minutes ago, Dimity said:

There were so many times in the 2016 election cycle where I thought "no one will vote for him now" but for me what I thought would be the final straw was his horrible stalkerish behavior during the debate with Hilary.  It was awful.  And yet there were people who claimed he won that debate and seemed to think he performed admirably.  Never will understand it.

I didn't really understand what triggered meant until I saw that debate. As a rape survivor, it all came crashing back to me. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I didn't really understand what triggered meant until I saw that debate. As a rape survivor, it all came crashing back to me. 

Late last summer, when I was testing the condo pool (I volunteer to do it since I like to swim in a long-sleeved, knee-length, black swimsuit) a crude snowbird owner guy lingered to talk to me and asked the pro-trumpian question: So, are you better off now than you were 4 years ago? 
I wish I had just replied: Yes, I am. My mother died during the pandemic and left me some money. 
But instead I blurted: I will never vote for a rapist. 
He turned away muttering: He never raped anyone. [Etc. Etc.]
He and his wife are back now. 
I keep hoping when I see them at the pool again he will say he's sorry he voted the way he did, but the odds of that happening are near zero. Leopards don't change their spots.

Edited Yest. at 04:09 AM by shapeshifter
typo

[ProudMary]

16 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I didn't really understand what triggered meant until I saw that debate. As a rape survivor, it all came crashing back to me. 

I can't just hit the teddy bear hug reaction emoji. It seems much too insufficient, when I think of ALL the triggering moments for rape survivors in the years since he rode down the golden escalator. Between Epstein, Weinstein/Me Too, the "Why I Didn't Report" of Christine Blasey Ford during the Kavanaugh hearings, the E. Jean Carroll case, and in general, the idea that an adjudicated rapist is the President of the United States must be too much to bear.

I'm so sorry that you, and any other victims of sexual assault here who choose to remain silent, have to endure this. Much love being sent your way.

[bluegirl147]

And now he says he might pardon Diddy because Diddy once said nice things about him.  He is such a ***********.

[Lantern7]

10 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

And now he says he might pardon Diddy because Diddy once said nice things about him.  He is such a ***********.

I hate that he’s become an escape plan for the stupid and evil. “Aw, yeah, I love me some Donald. I always wanted him to cover me in my Diddy Oil while my homies stared in absolute horror. Hey, not like Biggie is gonna come back and beat the shit outta me, right?”

[Anela]

2 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

For me, it was his mocking the disabled reporter. 😞

I mean, I was never going to vote for his morally corrupt ass anyway, but for those so inclined, I thought that would have been the final straw. 

He also offered to pay the legal fees of any supporters who assaulted protesters at his rallies. 

[ProudMary]

I hope that someday, sooner rather than later, that the entire upper echelon of this horrifying regime will have to face Nuremberg-like trials for their crimes against humanity.

The idea that the United States is responsible for all of this death, human suffering and despair fills me with grief. Our nation is no longer a force for good in the world; we are a force for evil.

I cried reading this. As always, outstanding journalism from Pro Publica. I'm not excerpting anything from the article. It's all important. I wish I could make everyone in this country sit down and read this.

Death, Sexual Violence and Human Trafficking: Fallout From U.S. Aid Withdrawal Hits the World’s Most Fragile Locations

Exclusive State Department records show: As the Trump administration abandons its humanitarian commitments, diplomats are reporting that the cuts have led to violence and instability while undermining anti-terrorism initiatives.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-usaid-malawi-state-department-crime-sexual-violence-trafficking

[Lantern7]

49 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

I hope that someday, sooner rather than later, that the entire upper echelon of this horrifying regime will have to face Nuremberg-like trials for their crimes against humanity.

It’s never going to happen. Best case, a handful will face jail time away from “Gen Pop,” and we’ll be grateful that the guy (or girl) inheriting the mess won’t pardon them.

[Bookworm 1979]

4 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

For me, it was his mocking the disabled reporter. 😞

My husband is disabled, and I've learned that people don't give two $h!ts about the disabled, including my husband's own family who voted conservative in our Canadian elections, and have defended DOGE in the past. It doesn't surprise me that this wasn't a deal-breaker to a lot of people.

[Yeah No]

On 5/30/2025 at 7:42 AM, Affogato said:

there is considerable research into the differences between liberal and conservative brain structure  here is one article:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/conservative-and-liberal-brains-might-have-some-real-differences/
<snip>

On the whole, the research shows, conservatives desire security, predictability and authority more than liberals do, and liberals are more comfortable with novelty, nuance and complexity.

I just wanted to respond to this because I tend to see everything from a personality theory angle and this matches up in some ways with what I have been seeing myself about the personality differences between conservatives and liberals. It reminds me of Temperament Theory which is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which is based on Jungian Personality Type Theory.

David Keirsey divided up the 16 MBTI Types into 4 general groups, put together in those 4 categories because they share one essential dominant aspect of Personality, which he described as their general Temperament. The 4 Temperaments are called Rational (Intuitive Thinking), Idealist (Intuitive Feeling), Artisan (Sensing Perceiving) and Guardian (Sensing Judging). 

The research above seems to align generally with Liberals being most similar to an Idealist Temperament while Conservatives are more similar to a Guardian Temperament. As Intuitives, Idealists seek the novel, the possible and are future oriented. They are open to growth and change and are motivated primarily by their highly ethical ideals. Meanwhile Guardians seek security and what is trusted and known through experience, and are present and/or past-oriented. As predominant Sensors, they are grounded in the world of the senses and seek to preserve tradition and history and are not quite as motivated by general and "nebulous" things like lofty ideals. 

I think the similarities are pretty obvious here. That's not to say that all Conservatives are Guardians by Temperament or that all Liberals are Idealists but perhaps when applied to politics people can draw upon different aspects of their personalities. But anyway I would bet that if a study were done on MBTI Type and political leanings, a larger number of Idealists (INFP, ENFP, INFJ, ENFJ) would land in the Liberal camp and a larger number of Guardians (ISFJ, ISTJ, ESFJ, ESTJ) would land in the Conservative camp. Just based on my experience with people of both political persuasions their Temperaments do tend to roughly match their political leanings, although Feeling types of all kinds tend to be more liberal in general thanks to their empathy. As far as Artisans (SP) and Rationals (NT) go I see it as more of a mixed bag with more Feeling type Artisans (ESFP and ISFP) being more likely to lean more liberal and More Judging Type Rationals (INTJ and ENTJ) as leaning more conservative. At least that's my theory, anyway! It would be interesting to know if there is any real correlation here. I'll have to check into it.

At any rate this is food for thought and it may help us to understand people coming from a conservative perspective. I think some of the disconnect here in talking with Conservatives or just Republicans in general has something to do with contrasting Temperaments. Most of us here are speaking the same language. We come from the same general personality landscape and it can be challenging to engage in certain kinds of discussions with people not from that perspective. I would bet that most Republicans are not the kind of idealists that many of us here are. Most would probably be more correctly called pragmatists and are not as comfortable talking about things in broad generalities. It can make for some difficulties in communicating effectively.

Anyway that's it for now!

[Soapy Goddess]

NM

Edited 3 hours ago by Soapy Goddess

[Soapy Goddess]

5 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

And now he says he might pardon Diddy because Diddy once said nice things about him.  He is such a ***********.

FUCK NO!!!!!!  That's it, where do I sign up for my honorary Dem pin?????

Edited Yest. at 06:54 AM by Soapy Goddess

[CM-BlueButterfly]

Hi everyone, 

just dropping in with a quick reminder that persons who were assigned male at birth and identify as female are transgender women and persons who were assigned female at birth and identify as male are transgender men. 

Please keep in mind that misgendering invalidates a person's identity and is against our community guidelines. 

If you're unsure about the correct LGBTQIA+ terminology, the GLAAD Media Reference Guide is a great "cheat sheet". 

While I'm at it, please remember as well that using the term "illegal" to describe an individual is considered labeling and dehumanizing language and against our community guidelines, too. Even if your intention is to reference someone else's language, using the term reinforces a message that invalidates someone's identity and humanity and should therefore be avoided altogether. 

Thank you!

[Soapy Goddess]

16 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Maybe that's the dividing line--people who find that funny and people who don't.

People can find something funny and yet not agree with the content. It's called having a sense of humor. Sometimes people laugh at the absurd (as in a comedy club). That doesn't mean they agree with the joke.

[tres bien]

Rapper 50 Cent says he will dissuade Trump from pardoning Diddy

Also sorry for reporting on Poland from early results based on exit polls per CBS News

🇵🇱☹️

[PRgal]

5 hours ago, Bookworm 1979 said:

My husband is disabled, and I've learned that people don't give two $h!ts about the disabled, including my husband's own family who voted conservative in our Canadian elections, and have defended DOGE in the past. It doesn't surprise me that this wasn't a deal-breaker to a lot of people.

My cousin (age 47 and a mother of three) doesn’t believe in neurodivergency or mental health.  She told me I was wasting my money seeing a therapist because that’s what those people are after…the cash.  And that people who are autistic are all just stupid…or dramatic (when it’s really sensory overload).  

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

My cousin (age 47 and a mother of three) doesn’t believe in neurodivergency or mental health.  She told me I was wasting my money seeing a therapist because that’s what those people are after…the cash.  And that people who are autistic are all just stupid…or dramatic (when it’s really sensory overload).  

Your cousin may yet have a neurodivergent person come into her life in such a way that they will change her perspective.🤞
Maybe a sweet friend of one of her kids?
I still truly can't abandon my ideas that my sister's troubles are performative rather than something else, but if it was someone with whom I did not have ingrained habits of thinking about, well, that's just different.

As for the politicians who have power to pull the strings, I would love to see one have an epiphany that would catch on like wildfire.

[Bookish Jen]

On 6/1/2025 at 12:19 AM, peacheslatour said:

Donald Trump shared a post to his Truth Social account Saturday night that made some wild claims about former President Joe Biden.

How wild?

Well, the post Trump shared, from an account that has just more than 2,000 followers, read, “There is no #JoeBiden — executed in 2020. #Biden clones doubles & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities are what you see. #Democrats don’t know the difference.”

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2025/06/donald-trump-shares-post-claiming-joe-biden-was-executed-replaced-by-clones.html

Schoolhouse Rock could never write a song that would help me cope with this crap.

[tearknee]

36 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

Schoolhouse Rock could never write a song that would help me cope with this crap.

"Donnie Munchkin, what's your function"?

[tearknee]

by the way, the candy bar is still open in the lobby! 

[Affogato]

https://apple.news/A9WxTsk6ISnKwamcBKL0Rhw
 

Oklahoma to require schools to teach Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories

Updated 1:29 am EDT May. 23, 2025

Oklahoma's public school history teachers will soon be required to teach the disproved conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party stole the 2020 presidential election from President Donald Trump.

Advancing Trump's debunked claims about his 2020 presidential election loss on young people is one of many changes made by State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters, including requiring bibles in every classroom. The new curriculum also removed a prior proposal for lessons about George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter, and teaches as fact the hotly contested theory that COVID-19 emerged from a lab leak.
—————

i just cannot. 

Edited 13 hours ago by Affogato

[bluegirl147]

Just now, Affogato said:

https://apple.news/A9WxTsk6ISnKwamcBKL0Rhw
 

Oklahoma to require schools to teach Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories

Updated 1:29 am EDT May. 23, 2025

Oklahoma's public school history teachers will soon be required to teach the disproved conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party stole the 2020 presidential election from President Donald Trump
—————

i just cannot. 

So does this mean blue states can teach Trump was responsible for the January 6th insurrection?

[tres bien]

IIRC when I read and posted about this a while back was not to influence students but so that can make their own decision 

BS

And in 2024 the OK state superintendent of public education issued a directive requiring all public schools to include the Bible into the curriculum 
A group sued and in March 2025 the OK Supreme Court blocked the directive 

 

Edited 13 hours ago by tres bien

[fastiller]

10 minutes ago, Affogato said:

https://apple.news/A9WxTsk6ISnKwamcBKL0Rhw
 

Oklahoma to require schools to teach Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories

Updated 1:29 am EDT May. 23, 2025

Oklahoma's public school history teachers will soon be required to teach the disproved conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party stole the 2020 presidential election from President Donald Trump.

Advancing Trump's debunked claims about his 2020 presidential election loss on young people is one of many changes made by State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters, including requiring bibles in every classroom. The new curriculum also removed a prior proposal for lessons about George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter, and teaches as fact the hotly contested theory that COVID-19 emerged from a lab leak.
—————

i just cannot. 

What's this you say about 'race to the bottom'?

[Ohiopirate02]

20 minutes ago, Affogato said:

https://apple.news/A9WxTsk6ISnKwamcBKL0Rhw
 

Oklahoma to require schools to teach Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories

Updated 1:29 am EDT May. 23, 2025

Oklahoma's public school history teachers will soon be required to teach the disproved conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party stole the 2020 presidential election from President Donald Trump.

Advancing Trump's debunked claims about his 2020 presidential election loss on young people is one of many changes made by State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters, including requiring bibles in every classroom. The new curriculum also removed a prior proposal for lessons about George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter, and teaches as fact the hotly contested theory that COVID-19 emerged from a lab leak.
—————

i just cannot. 

I'll be honest here, this is not going to matter, so there is no need to waste any energy on this. This is political theater pure and simple. My undergraduate degree is in history, and I know some history teachers. The thing about history is that it has to be taught in chronological order, and 500+ years is a lot to cover in 180ish days. That article links the curriculum in question, you should read it. The American history section starts on page 103 and goes to page 118. It covers a lot of topics, and I cannot see any competent teacher hitting all of the bullet points especially the last 2 pages. Because good history teachers are flexible and take the necessary time to build upon their lessons. Some topics gets skipped based on the flow of any particular class. Others get discussed more fully especially in a place like Oklahoma with it's Indigenous population, and this curriculum allows for them to do this.

There's also no way to make any topic mandatory in public schools. What are these lawmakers going to do, craft a statewide US history final exam? This particular topic would be 2 questions max in the multiple choice section. It would be so easy for a bunch of students to luck into getting the question right or get it wrong because they were not paying attention in class on that day. Maybe make it an essay question, but that's not what they truly want here. Essays written by students who care and had competent history teachers would eviscerate the conspiracy theory. I really just need to copy and paste part of the curriculum that would make this happen--

USH.3.2 Apply critical reading and thinking skills to interpret, evaluate, and respond to a variety of complex
texts and perspectives.
A. Evaluate the extent to which historical or cultural perspectives affect an author’s stated or implied
purpose.
B. Evaluate the author’s point of view, potential bias, and how authors can reach different conclusions
regarding the same issue

[StatisticalOutlier]

47 minutes ago, tres bien said:

And in 2024 the OK state superintendent of public education issued a directive requiring all public schools to include the Bible into the curriculum 

It was worse than that.  The bid specifications for the bible were such that only Trump-endorsed bibles would qualify.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/10/04/donald-trump-supported-bible-one-of-few-that-meets-ryan-walters-criteria-for-ok-classrooms/75510021007/

 

Edited 12 hours ago by StatisticalOutlier

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I'll be honest here, this is not going to matter, so there is no need to waste any energy on this. This is political theater pure and simple. My undergraduate degree is in history, and I know some history teachers. The thing about history is that it has to be taught in chronological order, and 500+ years is a lot to cover in 180ish days. That article links the curriculum in question, you should read it. The American history section starts on page 103 and goes to page 118. It covers a lot of topics, and I cannot see any competent teacher hitting all of the bullet points especially the last 2 pages. Because good history teachers are flexible and take the necessary time to build upon their lessons. Some topics gets skipped based on the flow of any particular class. Others get discussed more fully especially in a place like Oklahoma with it's Indigenous population, and this curriculum allows for them to do this.

There's also no way to make any topic mandatory in public schools. What are these lawmakers going to do, craft a statewide US history final exam? This particular topic would be 2 questions max in the multiple choice section. It would be so easy for a bunch of students to luck into getting the question right or get it wrong because they were not paying attention in class on that day. Maybe make it an essay question, but that's not what they truly want here. Essays written by students who care and had competent history teachers would eviscerate the conspiracy theory. I really just need to copy and paste part of the curriculum that would make this happen--

USH.3.2 Apply critical reading and thinking skills to interpret, evaluate, and respond to a variety of complex
texts and perspectives.
A. Evaluate the extent to which historical or cultural perspectives affect an author’s stated or implied
purpose.
B. Evaluate the author’s point of view, potential bias, and how authors can reach different conclusions
regarding the same issue

And let's face it. Any history teacher or civics teacher who believes the 2020 election was stolen is probably going to teach that anyways.

[Affogato]

8 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I'll be honest here, this is not going to matter, so there is no need to waste any energy on this. This is political theater pure and simple. My undergraduate degree is in history, and I know some history teachers. The thing about history is that it has to be taught in chronological order, and 500+ years is a lot to cover in 180ish days. That article links the curriculum in question, you should read it. The American history section starts on page 103 and goes to page 118. It covers a lot of topics, and I cannot see any competent teacher hitting all of the bullet points especially the last 2 pages. Because good history teachers are flexible and take the necessary time to build upon their lessons. Some topics gets skipped based on the flow of any particular class. Others get discussed more fully especially in a place like Oklahoma with it's Indigenous population, and this curriculum allows for them to do this.

There's also no way to make any topic mandatory in public schools. What are these lawmakers going to do, craft a statewide US history final exam? This particular topic would be 2 questions max in the multiple choice section. It would be so easy for a bunch of students to luck into getting the question right or get it wrong because they were not paying attention in class on that day. Maybe make it an essay question, but that's not what they truly want here. Essays written by students who care and had competent history teachers would eviscerate the conspiracy theory. I really just need to copy and paste part of the curriculum that would make this happen--

USH.3.2 Apply critical reading and thinking skills to interpret, evaluate, and respond to a variety of complex
texts and perspectives.
A. Evaluate the extent to which historical or cultural perspectives affect an author’s stated or implied
purpose.
B. Evaluate the author’s point of view, potential bias, and how authors can reach different conclusions
regarding the same issue

I’d hink they would pressure the teachers and jobs would be dependent on teaching things that the kids can be quizzed in. So, yes, a teacher could avoid it without doing anything they wouldn’t normally do, but I would bet they would get fired. Also I think this was social studies.